Ravenswood Community Council (RCC) held its fifth annual Ravenswood Awards Banquet on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the D.A.N.K. Haus, 4740 N. Western Ave., to recognize those individuals, businesses and organizations that provide exceptional caring and concerned service to the Ravenswood community and beyond.
In addition to honoring the community, the banquet is RCC’s primary fund-raiser for the year. It provides resources for RCC to begin new projects and for activities not supported by grants.
This year, RCC gratefully acknowledges the generosity of its Gold ($1000) sponsor: Swedish Covenant Hospital; Silver ($500) sponsors: Ald. Gene Schulter (47th), Atlas Material Testing Technology, Community Bank of Ravenswood, Lake View Realty, and Lincoln Park Savings Bank, along with Bronze ($250) sponsors: Commonwealth Edison, Michael J. Cullen, Hill Mechanical Group, Gary Krugel, Dale Strauss Realty and Technical Assistance Corporation for Housing (TACH).
Other donors included Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, C-M Motors, Chicago Brauhaus, Gannett Capital, Hallmark & Johnson Properties, Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club, state Rep. John Fritchey, The Lord Companies, and Walgreens.
This year’s top honor, the Raven Award, went to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s First Municipal Community Prosecution Unit North Side Office. Until this special group of prosecutors was organized, community court advocates never could know in advance who the Assistant State’s Attorney might be that was assigned to a case of interest. Each time it seemed as if advocates would have to start all over again to explain why the community was concerned or why support was being expressed for a particular victim or police officer.
Now, however, one special group of prosecutors handles all the cases for a geographic area. From the beginning to the end of a case the community knows whom to contact and whom to rely on regardless of how long it takes for a case to be resolved. The cases are specially selected for this unit by referral through District Commanders, police officers, citizens at beat meetings and monthly CAPS steering committee meetings. Each prosecutor commits to follow an individual case wherever it goes and no matter how long it takes—sometimes for years.
The 20th Police District was the first to be able to work with this new program and the 19th District soon followed. Eventually the program will be citywide. One example of the success of this new approach involved a male resident of the 20th District who unsuccessfully tried to abduct four young boys. He was subsequently identified, arrested and charged. The assigned attorney helped convince the young witnesses and their parents to appear in court, kept court advocates informed about each and every court date for two years and concluded the case with a conviction. The offender was turned over to INS and deported. Case closed.
In addition to their work on criminal case, the community prosecutors have attended beat meetings and held youth forums, seminars on identity theft, and trainings for beat meeting facilitators. They also speak on hate crime issues to a variety of audiences.
The staff of prosecutors at the North Side unit was selected for honoring in particular because of their personal dedication, commitment and effectiveness in serving the community in this new way. While Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine deserves justifiable recognition and praise for the community prosecution concept, it is this staff of dedicated professionals who are making it a reality and helping to bring more efficient justice to Ravenswood and the north side Chicago. The staff includes: Joy Repella, Jeremy Unruh, Christina Frenzel, Pavlina Kochankovska and Grace Hong-Duffin.
Another honoree at the banquet was Drake & Son Funeral Home, Sheila Lavey, funeral director. Under Sheila’s guidance, Drake and Son provides far more to the community than one might expect of a funeral home. They sponsor an annual old-fashioned spelling-bee that engages 17 grade schools. Their Christmas in November celebration gives families the opportunity to have professional photos taken in Drake and Sons’ holiday decorated sitting room with a fireplace—perfect for holiday cards.
Drake and Son also opens its doors to community organizations to host local meetings and seminars. Donations to local churches and charities are routinely included in their annual budget. In addition, Sheila is personally involved in planting the garden areas around the facility and the grounds have received recognition for their attractiveness. When asked to lend a hand or give support for a community event, the answer from Sheila and from Drake and Son has always been an enthusiastic YES.
Dave Fuchs, CAPS Area Three Coordinator, was also honored. Dave has worked with the city’s CAPS program for the past seven years, from its early developmental stages. As coordinator for CAPS community policing activities in Districts 18, 19, 20, 23 and 24 plus delegate agencies, he has been instrumental in developing many innovative programs. Among them are: Know Your Neighbor, a joint outreach project involving the RCC, CAPS and the Community Bank of Ravenswood; service initiatives for the homeless along the north lakefront and in Districts 19 and 20; a model for domestic violence training conferences; training for court advocates in Area 3; and most recently a new Spanish-speakers’ Support Committee that is working to extend CAPS information and involvement to Area 3 residents who are not fluent in English.
Prior to this Spanish focus, Dave used the resources of his delegate agencies to translate community alerts into various Asian languages with success measured by the arrests of high profile criminals in the community. He has recently left CAPS to become Legislative Director for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Alexandria, VA. The community will miss his supportive and gentlemanly leadership.
Also recognized was Katerina’s, Katerina Carson, owner.
Katerina’s is an eclectic café with its heart in the arts that opened in February 2000. It has become recognized as a local showcase for jazz, blues, folk and ethnic music—a place where prominent jazz musicians are welcome to hang out after their regular gigs. It is her belief that the arts are the soul of the city and she has made her café a place which warms that soul. Katerina is a home-grown entrepreneur, born and raised in Lincoln Square, attending Budlong Elementary, Amundsen High, Columbia College and Northeastern University. She cares about her community, hosting benefits to raise funds for AIDs care, Deborah’s Place and local small theaters.
Ravenswood Community Council also recognized Kompha Seth, founder, Cambodian Association of Illinois. The attractive yellow-canopied building at 2831 W. Lawrence Ave. houses the Cambodian Association of Illinois, a far cry from the old office building in Uptown where Kompha Seth founded the Association in 1980. At that time, refugees were fleeing the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and arriving in Chicago with little or no English skills, no jobs, few or no possessions, little money and all too often with the memories of entire families lost in the Killing Fields.
Kompha has worked tirelessly over 22 years to ease the transition of these new members of American society into their new home, to help them become contributing members of the larger community while preserving their own unique culture and language. To memorialize the atrocities suffered by his fellow Cambodians and to celebrate their rich culture, Kompha has been leading a campaign to establish a Memorial and Cambodian American Heritage Museum in the Lawrence Avenue facility. As the winner of a 2001 Channel 5 Jefferson Award, he was honored as one of the ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward.
Another honoree at the banquet was Thresholds, Dr. Jerry Dincin, executive director. Headquartered in Ravenswood at 4101 N. Ravenswood Ave., Thresholds is the nation’s largest nonprofit psychiatric rehabilitation agency.
Operating quietly and with little fanfare since 1959, Thresholds serves 6,000 individuals annually with five primary programs in structured psychiatric rehabilitation, residential basic living skills, adult basic education, community-based case management and vocational skill development. In addition there are nationally recognized programs for the hearing impaired, for mothers, young adults, the homeless, older adults, persons in crisis, and former jail inmates.
Dr. Dincin has been executive director since 1965. He was the fifth professional person hired by the agency that has now grown to more than 800 employees with a budget near $45 million.
Dr. Dincin has guided the agency to an impressive record such that 80 percent of the mentally ill who participated in the rehabilitation program successfully integrated back into the community; 50 percent are working at any given time and 90 percent of those in the homeless program are in safe housing at any given time. Through his efforts, the mentally ill are assured of a place where they are respected and given the assistance and skills needed to become fruitful, independent members of their communities.
Richard Wineberg, Earthwood Developments, was also honored. A new Ravenswood resident, Richard and his company Earthwood Developments were the first to offer one of their new two-bedroom condominium apartments in a nine-unit building at 2116 W. Cullom Ave. to be part of the city’s CPAN program in Ravenswood. The CPAN program offers long time local residents who have not owned property before an opportunity to participate in a community lottery to purchase a new apartment at below market prices. In cooperation with Ald. Schulter’s office, RCC will be the local organization that conducts the lottery process.
Richard’s offer of the apartment is especially worthy of commendation because it was not something he “had” to do. Often, developers participate in a program like CPAN in the expectation of receiving special zoning approvals or other considerations in return. The property on Cullom Ave. needed no special help. Richard saw that the program was good for the community—it would give a local person a chance to own property that they would otherwise be priced out of. It helps to balance the trend toward rising property prices that drive current residents to look elsewhere. He says that it was the right thing to do and that he would do it again. It’s a win-win situation. Richard was raised in Lake View, began working as a carpenter and has spent the last 20 years in the development business with his wife as a partner. He has built four new structures on Lincoln Avenue from Irving Park Rd. to Warner Ave.
Lawrence Hall Youth Services, Mary Hollie, CEO, also merited praise. Lawrence Hall’s motto is “Making a Difference to Last a Lifetime.” Last year they did just that by providing services to more than 1,200 children and families in their role as a non-profit child welfare agency. Their offices and group home facility are at 4833 N. Francisco Ave.
Lawrence Hall was founded in 1865 and has become one of the largest child welfare agencies in Illinois. They care for youth from 3 to 21 years of age with five core programs: early childhood education, elementary/high school education, foster care, residential treatment in group homes, and independent living for older youth and teens. Lawrence Hall seeks to make a lifetime of difference for all of the children entrusted to their care—children who have experienced abuse, neglect, poverty, homelessness, substance abuse and/or delinquency.
Ravenswood Community Child Care Center, Dan DeRoulet, president, received honor as well. This brand new facility, commonly called R4C, is a unique combined effort of the public, private and religious sectors of the Ravenswood community. The center is located in totally renovated quarters within the Ravenswood Covenant Church complex at Argyle and Damen avenues. Funding for the new childcare center was provided by the Akray Foundation; an Illinois First grant sponsored by state Sen. Lisa Madigan; and the church itself.
Working with Amundsen High School and Advocate Healthcare, it was designed to serve the needs of both the local community and especially those students at Amundsen who are mothers with small children and need childcare to be able to continue their education. The center opened Sept. 23, 2002, and already cares for 19 children aged eight weeks to four years. Parents of seven of the children are Amundsen students. The full capacity of 45 children is expected to be reached early in 2003. The 4C is a splendid example of public-private partnership at work to assist families and the community.
Ravenswood Family Resource Center, Sandra Rowe, director, was honored at the banquet. The RFRC provides a wealth of informational and other resources to community residents free of charge. Callers can learn about and access local resources for before and after school programs, childcare and nannies, physicians, health care services, housing, home repair programs, clothing and equipment exchange programs, legal and financial counseling, tutoring, religious and cultural education programs, elder care resources, community events, parenting, support groups and even free immunizations.
Originally developed by Ravenswood Hospital and supported by Advocate Healthcare, the center will be closing at the end of 2002. The computer data and other information resources are planned for transfer to RCC at that time to minimize the loss of this valuable community asset. Sandra has assisted thousands of community clients over the past few years with care, concern and professionalism. She will retire as the center closes.
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